Policies, families and integration: a state of the art of immigration research in Europe

Abstract

Migration is currently an area of vast scientific research, public debate and policy intervention in Europe. This is the case when the object under analysis is international migration and, more specifically, immigration, i.e., international movements of people targeting the European societies – the object of the present report. The reasons for the centrality of this theme are numerous. On the one hand, migratory movements, which were always part of the European history, became increasingly visible in most European countries. Taken in the sense of international migration, they were never as large as they are today. On the other hand, they defy some of the entrenched principles in which cultures and identity lie. The settlement of populations with different national backgrounds, cultures, religions and values defy the notion of ethnic homogeneity in which the European identities are (mistakenly) based. The themes of international migration and social change do not come across very often in social research. However, it may be argued that international flows are nowadays one of the biggest sources of social change in Europe.